On counting cells in open pore foams

The number of cells in a sample of an open pore foam is usually expressed as ppi (pores per inch), but it is not easy to deduce the total number of cells in a sample from this information. In this paper we derive a linkage between the cell number of a foam sample, the volume fraction of the solid and the mean thickness of its ligaments by means of computer simulations

Analysis of thermal evolution in textile fabrics using advanced microstructure simulation techniques

Nowadays, membrane structures represent a modern construction element to be used as roof material in modern buildings or as design element in combination with traditional architecture. Membranes are mostly used in an outdoor environment. Therefore they are exposed to wind, radiation (solar and infrared), rain and snow. Specific membranes are three-dimensional fabrics which can be used as energy absorber or as insulation of membrane roofs. The applicability as energy absorber becomes important if the three-dimensional fabrics are designed as a porous flow channel streamed by air and convectively heated up. The transferred energy may be stored in a latent heat storage system. Due to their porous structure, textile fabrics have a large heat-exchanging surface. If they are handled as homogenized porous structures, the heat transfer processes can not be described in a correct way. Therefore a microstructure model locally resolving all filaments of the three-dimensional fabrics has been formulated. By using an advanced meshing tool, a simulation technique has been developed taking into account the local heat conduction properties of the different materials. To analyse the heat transfer processes inside the three-dimensional fabrics, numerical simulations have been performed using the phase-field solver (Pace3D) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the commercial CFD-Solver StarCCM+. For a better understanding of the thermal behaviour of the fabrics, different thermal loads including thermal conduction in the microstructure (filaments) and convection by the surrounding air have been computed. The results show that the advanced simulation techniques allow to analyse the rate of conductive and convective heat transfer in three-dimensional fabrics. The results of the applied computational methods are compared

Simulative Determination of Effective Mechanical Properties for Digitally Generated Foam Geometries

Metal foams constitute a promising and emerging material class in the context of lightweight construction. There exists a variety of different foam topologies, on which resulting mechanical properties depend. To maximize the potential of foams in material use under mechanical load, the present work addresses the question how different geometrical parameters influence the material behaviour. Therefore, an algorithm for digital generation and design of open pore foam structures is presented, that allows to regulate the geometry precisely. A method for retrieving effective mechanical properties from numerical simulations of compression tests in the elastic regime is introduced. Additionally, the representativeness of foam volumes considered for simulations is investigated. This yields a fully digital workflow, which enables the investigation of geometry influence on mechanical properties. This approach is used to conduct simulation studies on generated foam structures with a systematic variation of geometrical parameters. Herein, a range of effective Young\u27s moduli varying by up to a factor of 1.3 for different foam structures at the same porosity is found. This shows a significant impact of the foam geometry on the elastic properties of metal foams. The presented methodology yields insights, which can guide design and optimization of materials for specific applications

2015-2016 Master Class and Mini-Recital - Nestor Torres (Flute)

https://spiral.lynn.edu/conservatory_masterclasses/1025/thumbnail.jp